10.45am Morning. Yesterday's blog was a bit damp, but by no means a damp squib. We may well get a result at Old Trafford today and we hope Guildford is dry after yesterday's misery.

10.46am Welcome to Guildford where the sun has real heat about it and we look to start on time after losing the whole of yesterday, writes Mike Averis. The ground staff say that all those little hollows which refused to dry out are now ok and even the lower side of the ground is firm under foot.

Sussex have points in hand over Glamorgan and Northamptonshire in second and third spots in division two, but with the matches at Colwyn Bay and Chesterfield more advanced, Mike Yardy's men will be looking over their shoulders and hoping to wring something from the remaining six sessions. After that there are just four games left in their championship season.

Presently they look to be on the back foot with Surrey 170 behind and all ten wickets remaining, but who knows what a day under the covers will have done to the Guildford strip. On Monday it was well behaved, but the suggestion is that Sussex didn't bat well against the new ball.

10.50am Good morning from Old Trafford, where it's cloudy with a bit of drizzle, writes Andy Wilson. So a danger of a slight delay to the start, although the forecast suggests we should get pretty much a full day - which will be enough time for Durham to end the only unbeaten record in either division of the Championship this season, unless Lancashire bat much better than they did in the first innings.

Mark Chilton, the former captain who scored the only half century first time around and has been awarded a benefit for 2011, is due to resume with nightwatchman Gary Keedy, but no doubt about the man on whom Lancashire will be pinning their hopes - and whose wicket Durham will most prize. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who averaged 236 in five appearances for the champions last season, went cheaply to Ian Blackwell in the first innings, but he has a terrific record at Old Trafford.

Blackwell would seem the most obvious threat to Lancashire given the sharp turn that's been on offer throughout the match, and it would be good to see Scott Borthwick given a twirl after his impressive innings yesterday. But facing Steve Harmison won't be much fun if we do start this morning, and any wickets for him would be a major bonus for Durham.

11.25am Taunton, third day, prompt start, writes David Hopps in businesslike fashion. Hampshire have made 284 over two days, which would normally be about half of what is required first dig in these parts, but this is not a normal pitch. It is a green seamer and if Somerset were offered a first-innings lead of half-a-dozen they might well grab it, especially having lost Marcus Trescothick overnight.

Somerset seem to have developed a fad for cycling. Regretfully, budding cyclists during the rain breaks have included Craig Kieswetter, who I have so far wasted an entire day failing to interview ahead of the Friends Provident t20 finals. Over the past 25 years, a few players have told me to get on my bike when asked for an interview, but this is the first time a player has literally got on a bike himself to avoid one.

Kieswetter hasn't got any runs and doesn't want to talk about it. This contrasts with Michael Lumb who was a picture of affability; on accounts of his Yorkshire genes naturally. That's pretty much the story so far. The county blog can have it as an exclusive. That's how nice we are to you. Somerset, meanwhile, are 28 for one with no alarms and we can see the Quantocks which so far bodes well for more play than yesterday.

12.02pm: An hour gone, 42 scored and the Sussex bowlers have found a bit of pace and bounce, writes Mike Averis in Guildford. There's been a fair amount of playing and missing, although the only wicket to fall is that of Arun Harinath for 20 at 64 for one. Corey Colleymore got lift, the ball found the shoulder of Harinath's bat and Ed Joyce at gully took the catch that brought Mark Ramprakash to the wicket for a battle of the ages.

At one end there is the veteran of 23 seasons and 437 first class matches and at the other Will Adkin, the lanky 20-year-old who apparently bowled and batted well on debut on Monday.

First blood to Ramprakash with a boundary timed through covers and up the hill followed by a brutal pull square on the leg side.

12.41pm: Durham have finally made a breakthrough at Old Trafford, thanks to the introduction of the young leg-spinner Scott Borthwick, writes Andy Wilson.

With his third ball after replacing Ian Blackwell from the Statham End, Borthwick had Gary Keedy plumb lbw as he tried to pull one that kept low - and the Durham journos here in the press box reckon may have been his flipper. Keedy had more than done his job, with 24 from 69 balls in a third-wicket stand of 56 in 25 overs with Mark Chilton, Lancashire's best of the match so far.

Chilton's still there on 31 from 86 balls, with new batsman Chanderpaul on a single, and at 67 for three, Lancs are 11 ahead. Liam Plunkett has taken over from Steve Harmison, who was wicketless in his seven-over burst, and it's still gloomy and windy.

12.44pm: Time to break off from transcribing the interview from Michael Lumb, who kindly gave a very intelligent take yesterday on his traumatic form since winning a World Twenty20 title with England, to observe the troubled batting form of Craig Kieswetter, the man who would prefer that the media does not cross his path. Such are the varying moods of England's Twenty20 openers ahead of the Friends Provident t20 finals day this weekend, writes David Hopps in Taunton.

And what's that? Kieswetter has edged Sean Ervine on nought straight to first slip, where James Vince puts down the simplest of chances. I am not a bitter man. I did not curse. Kieswetter is short of runs and is feeling the pressure. He is not the first one. Perhaps if he is 250 not out by the close he may be in a chatty mood although I would not bet on it. If, in the meantime, if I observe that he has not done anything this season to warrant selection in the 50-overs game ahead of Matt Prior, you will have to decide whether that is a fair-minded assessment based on facts at everybody's disposal, or just sour grapes.

James Tomlinson, Hampshire's left-arm quick, likes Taunton. He took a career-best 8-46 here and to date he has all three Somerset wickets. Alfonso Thomas did a staunch nightwatchman's job, hanging on 55 balls for five in the hope that the pitch w ould ease for the batsmen later in the day before edging to third slip. Arul Suppiah's swishy drive proved his downfall, also in the slips, for 36. Somerset, 20 minutes before lunch, are 80-3.

1.15pm: Ramprakash has gone, Adkin has taken his first wicket and Sussex have bowled their way into the game, taking four wickets for 86 runs in the morning, writes Mike Averis in Guildford.

Ramprakash died by his own hand so to speak, dragging on a delivery from Yasir Arafat, but Adkin's wicket came from the extra bounce he gets, bringing the ball down from higher than anyone else playing county cricket.

England have Stuart Broad at 6ft 5inch and still growing, Steve Finn half an inch higher, while Adkin tops the lot at 6ft 10inches - that's three inches taller than Chris Tremlett, who bagged four and bowled well in the Sussex innings.

Adkin not quick - Ben Brown stood up to him - and was only called in a hour before the start on Monday because Lewis Hatchett pulled out due the effects of vertigo (honest), but he has a nice action and is awkward. Ask Tom Lancefield. He failed to get on top of a delivery that went across him, found the edge and was taken in the gully.

Arafat's second wicket was Rory Hamilton-Brown, well taken on the square leg boundary by Murray Goodwin, as Surrey captain attempted to push the innings along.

2.20pm: Mark Chilton has just reached his second half century of the match - quite an achievement as Ian Blackwell is the only other batsman to have passed 50 so far, writes Andy Wilson at Old Trafford.

The former Lancashire captain has taken 121 balls, but time has not been an issue so far - although it might yet become a bit more pressing if any more time is lost to rain. He'd only managed one half century from 18 Championship innings before this match, but is still averaging almost 30. Not great, but there can't have been many single-figure scores. Lancs now 107 for three, 51 ahead, with Chanderpaul on 20, and Durham in a lull.

2.33pm: Craig Kieswetter is out at Taunton, 43 from 58 balls before he drove James Tomlinson to short extra, where as luck would have it his fellow England Twenty20 opener, Michael Lumb, took the catch. That is all four Somerset wickets for Tomlinson, who could do with some support if Hampshire are to sneak a first innings lead, writes David Hopps.

Predictably, the game turned after lunch into a bit of a Kieswetter vs Lumb show. Cricket never loses its sense of fate. Shortly before he was dismissed, Kieswetter drove at Danny Briggs, Hampshire's slow left-armer, and struck Lumb a painful blow at silly point. As Lumb looked in considerable discomfort, the thought occured that Kieswetter might not just avoid a Guardian interview but also make the interview that the Guardian already had entirely redundant as Lumb pulled out of t20 finals day through injury.

Now that would be, ehm, quite ironic wouldn't it? It is possible there would also be other words for it.

2.34pm: Chilton's gone to the blog - lbw sweeping at Blackwell, bowling over the wicket, for a round 50. Effectively 51 for four now, writes Andy Wilson.

3.25pm Another wicket for Durham, but not that of Chanderpaul, writes Andy Wilson at Old Trafford. Steven Croft has gone, driving at Borthwick's leg spin and well held by Michael Di Venuto at slip, after a fifth-wicket stand of 57.

So Lancashire are now 164 for four, 108 ahead, with Chanderpaul still there on 47 from 105 balls with five fours and a six swept effortlessly over mid wicket in Blackwell's last over. We've also had a comedy misfield from Steve Harmison who has subsequently left the field - to be fair, he has done well to play in this game after suffering an ankle injury in a CB40 game last Sunday, and seems unlikely to bowl again.

3.40pm Tomorrow – weather permitting - should be pretty lively at Guildford as Sussex and Surrey both look to make up for lost time, writes Mike Averis. At tea Surrey are 16 ahead with three wickets standing, but the new ball is due.

Weather permitting? The forecast is for about the same as today.

This afternoon we've seen the fully Monty at work: the Panesar who slings it down at close on medium pace, and the confident Panesar who is not afraid to give the ball a bit of air. He's switched ends a couple of times, but so far has bowled 19 economical overs and taken the important wicket of Steve Davies, lbw playing against the spin.

4.05pm Another potentially significant moment in the match with the last ball before tea, writes Andy Wilson at Old Trafford. Chanderpaul, backing away trying to cut Blackwell through the off-side, was bowled for 67, leaving Lancashire on 194 for six - a lead of 138, which is neither one thing nor the other. Sutton, Chapple, Mahmood and Kerrigan to come.

4.50pm: This game has now swung back towards Durham, writes Andy Wilson at Old Trafford. They've taken two more wickets since tea - Gareth Cross lbw playing no shot at Blackwell, and Luke Sutton also leg before to a full length swinger from Liam Plunkett - and Sajid Mahmood has so far been unable to bat, so presumably there must be something wrong with him. The score is now 217 for eight, so the lead is 161. Simon Kerrigan has just joined Glen Chapple, who has clumped a couple of boundaries.

5pm Another wicket for Blackwell, and it was that well-known Simon Kerrigan lookalike, Sajid Mahmood, writes Andy Wilson. He had come in at number ten, but with a runner, and didn't last long anyway, before edging a sharp, bouncing turner that might have had Gary Keedy licking his lips. So Kerrigan is in now, Chapple on 15, Lancs 222 for nine, 166 ahead.

5.34pm: There is a decent crowd at Taunton, soaking up the evening sunshine, writes David Hopps, and there is quiet approval of the way the match is shifting quietly in Somerset's favour. James Hildreth has made his sixth championship hundred of the season, his strokeplay accompanied as usual by an awful lot of purring, Zander De Bruyn struck 95 before he was bowled by Danny Briggs and at the final drinks break Somerset were 338-5, a lead of 54.

It is hard to assess how quickly this pitch is flattening because Hampshire barely have a bowler left standing. Sean Ervine has bowled only six overs before succumbing to what is presumably a recurrence of his back injury, and a bad back has also curtailed the overs bowled by Dominic Cork. Both must be a doubt for t20 finals day this weekend. Injuries could not be happening at a worse time.

Hampshire delayed taking the new ball for seven overs because of a lack of options and when they did it was propelled by Daniel Christian, the New South Wales all-rounder who came to Hampshire as a Twenty20 specialist, and who is making his first-class debut for the county. Christian did use it to good effect after drinks, having Joss Buttler lbw as Somerset subsided to 338-6.

Somerset's hopes of pushing on from 242-4 at tea have only partly materialised. De Bruyn and Hildreth began with a spurt, but De Bruyn was bowled sweeping at Danny Briggs, and Hildreth laboured a little in the 90s. He might have been stumped on 95 when he charged at Briggs, but to his fortune the ball ran off his pad wide of the wicketkeeper, and tapped back two tempting offerings from Michael Carberry, who bowled an over of off-spin on the walk. Tomlinson and the new ball was a tougher proposition, but he square cut James Tomlinson for four to win yet more applause.

There are few nicer county grounds than Taunton on evenings like this. Some of the smaller counties - and Taunton is foremost among them - can teach the Test match grounds a lot about creating grounds of character and atmosphere where it is pleasant just to sit, sup, chat and idle away an hour or two in the sun.

The spectators deserved better than Christian fielding in Ervine's shirt and the physio coming on with "Cork" on his back. They get confused enough as it is. It all added to the feeling of a game slipping away from Hampshire. But whether it is also slipping towards Somerset is a different matter entirely.